Apparatus for distributing powdered material



Feb. 21, 1928.

V. ROYLE APPARATUS FOR DISTRIBUTING POWDERED MATERIAL Filed Nov. 21,1924 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR ATTORNEYS Feb. 21, 1928.

V. ROYLE APPARATUS FOR DISTRIBUTING POWDERED MATERIAL Filed Nov. 21.1924 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Ill/Ill INVENTOR ATTORNEYS Patented Feb. 21, 1928.

UNITED STATES 1,659,577 PATENTOFFICE.

vEaNoN norm, or rnrnnson, NEW JERSEY.

APPARATUS FOR DISTRIBUTTNG POWDERED MATERIAL.

Application filed November 21, 1924. Serial Ho: 751,412.

This invention relatesto an apparatus for distributing powderedmaterial, such, for instance, as soapstone, talc or the like, WhlCh iscommonly employed in tubing or extruding machines for coating theextruded prod not in order to prevent adhesion of its parts.

An object of the invention consists in providing improved means wherebythe powder may be carried along with acomparatively slow moving currentof air or the like generated by apparatus tending to produce a partialvacuum.

Another object consists in providing improved means for creating thepartial vacuum and hence, generating the current of air or the like.

Another object consists in providing improved means for passing thepowdered material into the said currentof air or the like and forcontinuously returning to the said current such of the powdered materialas has been passedthereinto and not been carried along thereby.

Another object consists in providing improved means whereby the meansfor generating the current of air or the like andthe means for passingthe powdered material thereinto are actuated from a common source. i

Another object consists in providing imroved means for re ulating theforce of t e current of air or t e like.

Anotherobject consists in providing improved means for feeding thematerial frpm the distributing apparatus to the tubing or extrudingmachine.

Another object consists in providing improvements in the form,construction and arrangement of the several parts, whereby the abovenamed and other objects may be effectively attained.

A practical embodiment of the invention is shown in the accompanyingdrawings, in which Fig. 1 represents a side'elevation of the improvedapparatus. a

Fig. 2 represents a viewpartly in end elevation and partly in verticalsection of the same.

Fig. 3 represents a detail section taken in the plane of the lineIII-III of Fig. 2 looking in the direction of the arrows.

In supplying non-adhesive powdered material totubin machines, it hasbeen customar to partially fill a suitable receptacle with the saidmaterial and then inject it current of compressed airinto the saidreceptacle,wh1ch current would stir up a cloud of the powdered materialand force it out through a pipe or other suitable outlet lead- 111g fromthe receptacle. This procedure requires an air current ofveryconsiderable force, and this force frequently causes injury to theproduct of the tubing machine, particularly whenthe said productconsists of a tube of relatively small diameter which is being producedin considerable len th. This injury generally arises from the act thatthesurface frictionof the air within the tube generates a back pressureafter a considerable length of tubing has'been extruded, which backpressure causes the air to expand, and thereby distort, a portion of thetubing. Disadvantages have also existed in the fact that the powdersometimes is forced into the tube in small lumps instead of in a veryfinely subdivided condition and alsoin the fact that the supply ofpowder carried along by the current of air has been irregular. Mypresent invention overcomes these prior difficulties by providingimproved means attaining the objects previously named.

gential to the circumference of the casing 2, i

as clearlyshown in Fig. 1.

The opening from the casing into the chute 5 is. partially restricted bythe circumferential wall of the casing 2, as indicated at 6, and a gate7 is mounted on the saidportion 6 of the wall .of the casing by a capscrew 8 that projects through a slot fashioned in the gate. By thisarrangement, the gate is adjustable so as to provide means for stillfurther restricting and, in fact, practically closing, communicationbetween the chute 5 andthe interior of the casing 2. The top of thechute 5 has a hinged lid 9 that is pivoted at 10and has a grip 11 formanualo oration. a

One si e of the casing 2 is open, and a cover plate 12, which issuitably shaped to that one 2, is removably secured thereto by screws13.

This cover plate 12 has a central aperture 14 that is closed by a disc15 fixed in position by screws 16.

The disc 15 has an 'annula'rly disposed series of holes 17, and ashutter 18, which consists of a thin circular plate, is mounted on ajournal 19, which forms part of the disc 15, and is provided with aseries of holes 20 that are fitted to register with the holes 17. Theshutter 13 is rotatable upon the journal 19 and has a handle 21 for thispurpose.

From this construction, it will be seen that, by rotating the shutter18, the openings 17 and 20 may be made to wholly coincide, to partlycoincide, or not to coincide at all, so that this constitutes aeans foropening, to a greater or less extent, communication between thesurrounding atmosphere and the interior of the casing 2.

The journal 19 formed on the disc 15 projects both within and withoutthe casing 2, and in said journal, a hollow shaft 22 finds its bearing.One end of said shaft extends beyond the journal 19 and into the casing2 so as to be centrally disposed therein. This inner end of the shaft 22carries a skeleton wheel 23. j The wheel 23 has its rim formed so as toconstitute a plurality of seats 24 inclined at an angle to the adjacentradii of the wheel, which seats serve as supports for scoops 25 thatconsist of plates bent to a cross sectional form of acute angular shape.

The outer end of the shaft 22 has a collar 26 fixed thereto by a setscrew '27, and this collar is developed into a flange 28 that has a stud29 set therein and projecting into a large gear 30 which has. a sleevebearing 31 on the exterior of the journal 19. The said sleeve bearingserves to hold the shutter 18 firmly in position against the "disc 15,as is shown in Fig. 2.

The large gear meshes with an intermediate gear 32 that is mounted bymeans of a bolt 33 in a slot 34 formed in an arm 35 that projectslaterally from a hub 36 which is mounted on a countershaft 37.

The said hub 36 has a flange 38 which is provided with, an arcuate slot39; and a cap screw 40 is passed through the slot 39 and threaded into aflange 41 formed on a hearing 42 which is fast to a plate 43 that isfixed to the casing 2 by screws 44. i

This arrangement permits the arm 35 to be adjusted in a curved pathabout the shaft- 37 so as to move the intermediate gear 32 toward andaway from the large gear 30.

A pinion 45 is fast on the shaft 37 by a key 46 and held in position bya nut 47;

This pinion is intended to mesh with the intermediate gear 32, so thatthe rotation of the shaft 37 will drive the large :gear 30 and hencerotate the wheel 23.

The pinion 45 may be removed, if desired, and another sized pinionsubstituted for it, in order to vary the speed of rotation of the wheel23 with respect to a given speed of rotation of the shaft 37. In casethe size of the pinion 45 is, changed, the adjustability of theintermediate gear 32 in the slot extremity of the said shaft'has a wormgear 49 fixed thereon by a set screw 50.

The said worm gear meshes with a worm 51 which is fixed on a shaft 52 bya set screw 53, the said shaft 52 being mounted in an elongated bearing54 that is'fast to a plate 55 secured by screws 56 to the side of ahousing 57 that is fastened by screws 58 to the side of the casing 2opposite the cover 7 plate 12.

The end of the shaft '52 opposite the worm 51 carries another worm gear.59 that meshes with a worm 60 which is fixed to a shaft 61 by a setscrew 62.

The shaft 61 has oneend mounted in a bushing 63 that is carried in ajournal 64 formed integral with and projecting from the housing 57. Theother end of the shaft 61 passes through a yielding washer 65, that maybe composed of felt or other suitable material. This washer is held inposition by a pair of rings that are forced into the shouldered outerend of the hollow shaft 22, as clearly shown in Fig. 2 and, as saidwasher has a close engagement with the surface of the shaft 61, itserves to prevent the egress of the powdered material or, substantially,the ingress of air at this point. A housing 66 composed of two halves,fastened together by bolts 67, serves to cover. the worm gear 59, worm60 and adjacent parts, the said,

housing 66 being supported-by oneiend of the shaft 52 and the contiguousend of shaft 61.

The shaft 61 projects axially through the casing 2 and terminates in acoupling 68, which coupling is keyed to a power shaft 69 projecting from.a motor 70 that is carried on a bracket 71 mounted on one side of thebase 1. It will be clear that the operation of the motor serves, throughthe chain of shafting rand gearing above described, to drive the wheel23.

The housing 57, above mentioned, en

compasses afan or blower 72 that is fast to the shaft 61 by a cotter '73, so that the fan to govern the amount of air as to or blower rotateswith and at the same speed as the shaft 61. The arrangementof gearing issuch "that the said shaft, and hence -on, and it will be seen'that therotation of the fan or blower 72 will tend to. draw the air from theinteriorof the casing 2 and exhaust it through vthe outlet 74 and nozzle7 5, so that the said fan acts asa centrifugal suction pump tending tocreate a partial vacuum within the casing 2. This operation, of course,sucks airthrough the openings 17 and 20 in the disc 15 and shutter 18and, by adjusting theshutter in a rotary direction with respect to thedisc, the effective sizeof said openings can be varied so as permittedto enter the casing 2. a.

A suitable electric, heating unit76 is secured to the lower side of thecasing 2 by screws 77 and may be connected by wires 7 8 with anysuitable source (not shown) of electricity. This heating unit serves tokeep the powdered material within the casing 2 in a dry condition andinsure that it shall remain finely subdivided and not form lumps. Inoperation, the lid 9 is lifted and the cover 7 adjusted to provide asuitable opening between the chute 5 and the casing 2, so permit thepowdered material to pass into the casingwith greater or less rapidity.A suitable amount of the powdered material, such as talc, is nowadmitted into the chute 5 and the lid 9 closed. The said material willmove downwardly toward, and part of it will actually reach, the bottomof the casing 2, as indicated in Fig. 1. The electricity is turned on soas to heat the element 76. The shutter 18 is turned by its handle 21 soas to perniit a certain amount of coincidence between the openings 17and 20. The motor is started, thus causing the fan or blower 72 and thescoop wheel 23 to rotate.

The arrangement is such that the scoop wheel rotates in ananti-clockwise direct-ion, as indicated by the arrows in Fig. 1, so thatthe scoops 25 move upwardly toward and against the material passing downthrough the chute 5 into the casing 2. As the apparatus operates, thescoops will be filled with the incoming material and will carry itupwardly totward the top of the casing 2. As each scoop approaches thetop, it will begin to spill more and more of its load of powderedmaterial and, after it has passed beyond the highest point of itstravel, each scoop will entirely empty itself. This will generate acontinuous descending cloud or curtain of powdered material which will,in its downward course, come to the axis of the wheel 23 and casing 2.The air let in through the openings 17 and 20 will bedrawn through thecasing 2 in an axial direction. toward the fan 72 and ejected throughthe outlet 74 and nozzle7 5, and this current} of air will carry alongwith it part 'of the descending cloud of powder within tlrecasing 2 andcause the same to be passed out through the outlet 7 4 and nozzle 75. Byregulating the shutter 18, as well as the s deed .of rotation of the fan72, the power 0 the suction created in the casing 2 can be adjust ed tosuit the circumstances, so that a greater or less amountof the powderedmaterial will be passed out of the casing in any given periodof time.These means ofregulation enable the operator to insure an adequate andeven supply of the powdered material from the distributing apparatus tothe tubing machine while, at the same time, preventing any excess ofpressure which would injure the tubing. j

The arrangement of the chute 5, with one side tangential to thecircumference of the casing 2, in combination with theanti-clockwise-rotation of the wheel 23, provides a very effective meansfor supplying the owderedmaterial to the scoop carrying w eel,

and prevents undue collection and clogging of the material within thecasing 2.

- It-may be mentioned that the nozzle 75 on the outlet 74 is intended tobe connected by suitable hosing or piping with a tubing machine, in theusual manner; and it is preferred to mount the apparatus so that thenozzle 75 will be at a higher level than the point of connection to thetubing machine, so that gravity may assist in the feed of the powderedmaterial.

It will be understood that various changes may be resorted to in theform, constructlon and arrangement of the several parts withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of my invention; and hence, I do notintend to be limited to the details herein shown and described, exceptas they may be included in the claims.

What I claim is:

1. An apparatus of the character described comprising, a receptacle forthe material, a fantending to create a vacuum within the receptacle, ascoop carrying wheel for agitating material in the receptacle, and-apair of shafts, one within the other, for rotating the fan and wheel. 2.An apparatus of the character described comprising, a receptacle for thematerial, a

fan mounted on one side of the receptacle for within the receptacle foragitating the material, a seeond shaft SllI'IOllIldiIlg said first shaftand connected to said wheel, and a train of mechanism exterior to thereceptacle connecting said shafts, whereby the rotation of the firstshaft will rotate the second shaft.

3. An apparatus of the character described comprising, a receptacle forthe material, a wheel in the receptacle for agitating the material, ahollow shaft upon which said wheel is mounted projecting through-a sideof the receptacle, an actuating shaft traversing said hollow shaft andspaced from the inner wall thereof, and means located between said twoshafts for preventing the egress of powdered material from thereceptacle or the ingress of air thereinto.

4:. An apparatus of the character described comprising, a receptacle forthe material, a wheel in the receptacle for agitating the material, ahollow shaft upon which said wheel .is mounted projecting through a sideof the receptacle, an actuatingshaft traversing said hollow shaft andspaced from the inner wall thereof, and a yielding washer locatedbetween said two shafts for preventing the egress of powdered materialfrom the receptacle or the ingress of air thereinto.

5. An apparatus-of the character described comprising, a receptacle forthe material, 21

wheel in the receptacle, for agitating the 6. apparatus of the characterdescribed comprising, a receptacle for the material having a centraloutlet, a housing secured to said receptacle in register with saidoutlet, a fan located in said housing tending to create a vacuum withinthe receptacle through the outlet, a scoop carrying wheel in thereceptacle for agitating vthe material, and a motor for rotating the fanand wheel,

said motor and fan being disposed on opposite sides of the receptacleand substantially coaxially mounted with the wheel.

In testimony, that I claim the foregoing as my invention, Ihave signedmy name this 17th day of November, 1924.

VERNON BOYLE.

mg said hollow shaft and spaced from the

